By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 22 Jul: The Naropa Fellowship programme has announced admission for its second batch, with the intent to continue fostering entrepreneurial skills in youth from the Himalayan belt. The first cohort of 52 Fellows are all set to graduate on 25 August and the admissions for the second batch have already commenced.
The Naropa Fellowship is a one-year, fully residential, post-graduate, academic programme focused on creating and nurturing agents of change who will work towards building a sustainable socio-economic environment in Ladakh and the greater Himalayas. It seeks to foster entrepreneurship, retain local talent while preserving the cultural heritage of the region. The Fellowship is designed to address the rising challenges of unemployment, lack of training and professional skills, and gradual cultural erosion in Ladakhi and the Himalayan societies. The Naropa campus is located at Hemis, a beautiful village in Leh.
The Naropa Fellowship is inspired by the Gyalwang Drukpa and co-founded by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, Spiritual Regent to the Gyalwang Drukpa and Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, the founding dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, and the co-founder of Ashoka University, Sonipat.
The curriculum of the Fellowship includes entrepreneurship, society and culture, communication skills and personal development tied up with a live project which aims to engage the Fellows in working on sustainable solutions for the local community in Ladakh and surrounding regions. The Fellows are supported by world-class faculty which includes industry experts, academicians and practitioners who guide and instruct the Fellows in their entrepreneurial ventures.
According to Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, “The first batch of Naropa Fellows has made us proud with its entrepreneurial ventures that are responsible and sustainable solutions for society. We invite more enthusiastic students to engage and involve themselves with a programme that develops their leadership skills and prepares them to contribute to their communities.”
Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche said, “It has been an honour and privilege to see our vision for the Fellowship being reflected in the success of our first batch of the Naropa Fellows who are all embarking on an exciting journey. We are thrilled to welcome our second batch – youth who want to become leaders of tomorrow and create meaningful impact in the Himalayan region must apply for this programme.”
The Fellowship is currently inviting applications from graduate students for the second batch beginning September 2019. The Naropa Fellowship is offering fully funded scholarship worth Rs 12,00,000 to the students. Students can apply for the Naropa Fellowship 2019 through the website (http://naropafellowship.org/) and the last date of the submission of the application is 7 August, 2019.
The eligibility criteria to apply for the Fellowship are a recognised undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any discipline; strong academic record and extra-curricular engagement.